Tucker is an avid points and miles enthusiast. Being fully involved in the world of credit cards and frequent flying for only a few years now, he brings a very fresh and unique perspective to the world of travel.

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Do I have Priority Pass? How do I get it?

January 11, 2018

As an “add-on” to my post breaking down the Priority Pass I wanted to take a step back. I’ve already talked a lot about how beneficial I’ve found the Priority Pass membership to be, but I want to go over how exactly you can get the Priority Pass.

How can I get a membership

So first, what are my options for getting a Priority Pass?

You can purchase a membership directly from Priority Pass. This is not the route I would take, but the option is there.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Cardholders have the opportunity to bring unlimited guests, but each lounge reserves the right to limit guests per their own policies. In terms of credit card memberships, this card is the most generous in their access to Priority Pass lounges.

Platinum Card from American Express Cardholders must pay $27 per guest, as the membership is limited to the cardholder only. There are other, possibly better options of lounges for Platinum Card holders.

Citi Prestige Cardholders are allowed two guests per Priority Pass card. Once again, individual lounges reserve the right to enforce their own policies.

Ritz Carlton Rewards This card does not specify the guest policy, but many accounts point to similarities with the Chase Sapphire Reserve — so with this card you will get unlimited complimentary guests per visit.

How to use your Priority Pass

First things first, if you are trying to enter a Priority Pass lounge you must have a boarding pass for that day. With the emergence of restaurants in the Priority Pass network, you don’t necessarily have to go through security to enjoy the benefits. You will have to present a boarding pass though.

So if you are now a “Priority Pass” member, through one of the channels above, you must know how to use it. I guarantee there are more people than not that know about the benefit but wouldn’t be able to use it if they were stuck in an airport.

Note: For the purposes of this demo I will walk through the Priority Pass membership for Chase Sapphire Reserve members, as that is how I have earned it.

From you Ultimate Rewards Dashboard, select “Use Points” and all the way at the bottom select “Card Benefits.”

From there it will bring you to a page with all the benefits the card offers (even outside of Priority Pass, this is a page everyone with the card should explore to ensure they are maximizing the benefits of the card).

As you can see, I’ve already activated the card with my Chase account. Once you follow the link and activate your card, a physical card should arrive in 7-10 business days (mine arrived sooner). It is a yearly membership, but as long as you have the Reserve card they will send you a replacement card about a month before your card expires.

If you are willing to carry around this card (in some cases you have to), you are good to go! At any participating lounge just present this card and your boarding pass. If you aren’t looking to add any more cards to your wallet, Priority Pass offers an e-card through their mobile app. For a while Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders could not use the mobile app to gain entry, but that has since changed. Most cardholders now can enter using the mobile version of the card.

In order to use the mobile app you must set up an “online Priority Pass account” — so if that is the route you wish to take I’d recommend downloading the app and setting it up now. You will never know when you may need it.

To set up, you’ll need the membership number from your physical card. I then just added the mobile card to my Apple Wallet for easy access.

I would definitely not get a credit card only for the Priority Pass benefit, but I do think there is a ton of value you can get out of the membership.

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Tucker is an avid points and miles enthusiast. Being fully involved in the world of credit cards and frequent flying for only a few years now, he brings a very fresh and unique perspective to the world of travel.